Sales & Earnings

With adalimumab biosimilar market share increasing in the US, AbbVie says revenue erosion is on its expected pace, driven mainly by discounts. Skyrizi, Rinvoq continue growth trajectories.

Outstanding Q1 growth in sales and profits have pleased the markets, and investors are now keen to hear more about AstraZeneca’s 2030 masterplan at its investor day next month.

CEO Daniel O’Day highlighted Gilead’s large pipeline and relative safety from patent expirations over the next few years in the company’s Q1 earnings call.

Revlimid and Eliquis beat expectations in the first quarter, but the products have dwindling exclusivity, making new drugs the main focus for Bristol. So the company will reinvest cost savings in R&D.

Some patients have already been prescribed the new drug for pulmonary arterial hypertension but Merck & Co. did not provide any sales or guidance. 

AstraZeneca’s CEO says his potential 11% pay rise is needed to help the European industry remain competitive with its higher paying US counterparts.

CEO Paul Hudson says that the French major will continue to progress early-stage cancer projects despite jettisoning some oncology programs in favor of reallocating much of its research budget to immunology.

Sales of the company’s new drugs have a lot of growing to do to make up for older products’ declines, but Biogen highlighted signs of strength for new launches in its Q1 report.

Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty toppled after recording the highest ever annual sales for a pharmaceutical in 2022, while Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic climbed rapidly. But Merck & Co’s immuno-oncology blockbuster Keytruda was secure in the number one spot in 2023 as COVID-19 receded.

The Swiss major brings a new ruthlessness to the compounds in its pipeline: if they’re not first or best, they’re out.

The Swiss pharma company is looking to tap into the experience of ex-BMS leader Giovanni Caforio to help further it US-first commercial strategy.

J&J’s Medtech division outshone pharma while recently launched innovative products contributed minimally: it is to be hoped investors’ reactions to the first set of big pharma Q1 results will not set the tempo for earnings season.

Sales of Stelara are expected to begin tapering off later this year when the first biosimilars launch in mid-2024 in Europe and later in the US.

The privately owned company is searching for a successor to Jardiance, while the outcome of US Inflation Reduction Act talks on price cuts to the blockbuster will be revealed in September.

In contrast to the SEC’s view that public companies’ regulatory filings give investors all the information needed to make an investment decision, the discount rate used to value a company may not reflect all its risks.

Strong sales growth and licensing activity in 2023 helped multiple Chinese biotechs to a solid profit performance, some moving into the black for the first time.